Turns out the magazine was full of goodies, too. There are so many adorable patterns in this edition of IK, I want to knit all of them! But I know that I have only so much time and yarn money, so I picked one pattern I must knit. I decided I absolutely need to knit the Printed Silk Cardigan, and I think I'll do it in black.
The design is timeless and I think that the plainness of a simple black cardigan will be offset nicely by the geometric elements of the stitch pattern. I hope that this will become the perfect black cardigan that I've been searching for. Unfortunately, the yarn the pattern calls for would be around $200 for the whole project. So I've been looking into substitute yarns. I'm thinking I'll go for a silk blend instead of a 100% silk yarn to help cut down on cost. Even silk blends seem expensive, though. I guess I've kind of accepted that if I want this sweater to be perfect and a garment I'll have for years, I might need to bite the bullet and invest more than usual on this project. Here are some of the candidates for sub-yarns:possible yarns for printed silk cardigan:
-blue sky alpacas alpaca silk
-pima cotton silk by frog tree
-debbie bliss alpaca silk dk yarn ($130)
-debbie bliss pure silk yarn ($163)
-elizabeth lavod silky wool yarn ($54.94)
-sublime yarn cashmere merino silk dk ($107.31)
-valley yarns deerfield
So far the sublime cashmere merino silk is a strong contender, and the Elizabeth Lavold is sure tempting ('cos it's the cheapest of the bunch). Also the alpaca silk could be a good sub; in fact, the author of the pattern originally chose this yarn to do the sweater in. I'm gonna research these yarns a bit more (find out how they wear, if they pill or stretch) and hopefully decide on one soon. I'd like to start work on the cardigan as soon as possible.
I'll leave you with a cake I made for Valentine's day. Valentine's day isn't really a huge deal, but it sure is a nice excuse to eat candy and bake sweets.
Jeanette's Pumpkin "Cheese"cake2 tubs tofutti cream cheese (soy cream cheese, it makes no difference taste wise)
2 large spoonfuls pumpkin (from a can)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning, adjust to taste (Some might like it more pumpkiney. The amount given is for a pretty minimally pumpkiney flavor)
3/4 to 1 cup sugar, also adjust to taste
1 tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
Graham cracker crust, homemade or store bought
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients, and beat in a mixer until smooth. This recipe is really hard to mess up, but it relies a lot on tasting as you go (oh darn! gotta lick the beaters!). The exact measurements of sugar and pumpkin pie seasoning are by no means fixed; I always go by taste and adjust accordingly. When the mixture tastes right, pour it into your graham cracker crust. Don't forget to blind bake your crust if you made it by hand. Put the pie into the 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Let cool in the refigerator for at least 3 hours, or until the cake seems set (it should be firm like a real cheesecake). If you want to do what I did above, buy some berries--whatever's in season--and decorate the top with them.
Delicious!
4 comments:
That's beautiful, Jeanette! Is that a subliminal Mercedes Benz emblem in berries?
I mailed the brownie recipe to Sally, who has an oven, and not to you, because you don't have an oven. But you managed to bake that lovely pie, so perhaps I should mail the recipe to you! Best brownies ever!
Is this the same pumpkin-ish pie you made for the Thanksgiving extravaganza at the Peach compound? It was gone before I got a piece!!
Mom
Yeah, I want one of those sweaters, definitely. : ) And one of those pies.
Yes, this is the same pie I made for Thanksgiving. The addition of berries actually makes it taste even less pumpkiney... but oh so delicious.
And yes dad, nothing more romantic than a little mercedes consumer love (Really, it was my feeble attempt at a heart; I felt a heart was appropriate to the occasion)
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